Learn the story behind The Kitchy Kitchen, how Claire Thomas got into cooking, what female chef she idolizes and what adorable (and unique) treat her mother would make her growing up.

Image Credit: Claire Thomas

Foray into Blogging

Claire’s foray into food blogging was more unusual than the typical chef. “I grew up with a family who loves food," she explains. "My mom was an amazing cook, so I never had to [cook], but [when] I was in college, I had my first job working in the entertainment industry as a script reader [and] I started getting into food history. It turned me on to the world of food as a way to understand culture."

"I started to get into cooking and playing around with vintage recipes, and learning more about how other cultures cooked and how people cooked in the past. Out of college, I took a secretarial job and my mom [said], 'You are really getting into food why don't you start a blog?' I did some research, picked up a camera [and] learned how to shoot food. I practiced and I started developing my own recipes."

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Blog Mission

“I wanted to be someone who actually added to the conversation,” Claire explains. “I wanted to give people something of value."

"The photography took off and I quit my job and went into food styling."

Image Credit: Claire Thomas

Blog Name

“I like the idea of “Kitchy Kitchen” because it sounded fun," quips Claire. "I liked the way it rolled off my tongue. It sounded like an easy non-threatening place to be. I'm not a trained chef who is going to talk to you like I'm a teacher. I’ve cried over ruined food. I've burnt so many things and through trying again and again, I've been able to develop all of these recipes. I wanted The Kitchy Kitchen to be a place that is not intimidating, [with] food that looks really great and seems elegant, but is really simple to prepare.”

Image Credit: Claire Thomas

Food Videos

"I wanted to shoot food like music videos to make a recipe vibrant, exciting and entertaining, so, whether you wanted to make it or not, it was fun to watch," Claire offers. “My friend brought over a DSLR camera, and I directed him and edited the videos, which became a huge draw."

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Big Break

"A producer reached out to me [and] said he really loved [the videos]," Claire told us. The producer then offered to send her videos to some agencies. Claire agreed to the offer, “I didn’t know who was going to care about my food videos, but six weeks later, I was directing my first video for McDonald's, and around the same time I got my first show, Food for Thought. I got to work as a commercial director and be an on-screen host as well.”

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Food For Thought

“Food for Thought was a show on ABC and part of their Saturday morning programming, Claire explains. "It was geared towards teens and college students and getting them to learn basic cooking skills. I asked to take over the Facebook page and they obliged. I turned the Facebook page into this really big food community. There are almost 50 thousand fans on there and I'm on every weekend. I [found out] that most people watching [the show] were young moms who wanted to get excited about food. The show ended up connecting different people who love food and want to have fun in the kitchen.”

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Favorite Chefs

“I think Nigella is amazing, enthuses Claire. "She is everything: gorgeous, intelligent and she is the only TV chef who can use the word 'deliquescence' and not sound completely pretentious. Mark Kurlansky, Jeffrey Steingarten and Anthony Bourdain are all writers that I really respect. I love that they make food history fascinating, exciting, new and relevant. If you understand food you understand peoples’ culture, politics and economy. It tells you so much about a population and what is important to them. Food can have so much meaning and help you understand more about the world.”

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Oldest Memory About Food

"I grew up with dolly cakes. It’s a cake with a doll stuck in it. The cake part is like a bottom skirt. I remember my mom putting one together with multicolored marshmallows for my birthday, and the doll had a little parasol. I thought it was the prettiest thing in the world. I made a couture one for my sister’s birthday a few years ago. Her friends freaked out, [so] I started making them for fun.”

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Guilty Pleasure

“Double Stuff Oreos, without a doubt. The mint ones blew my mind.”

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Favorite Dish

“Depends on what mood I'm in, but you are always a hero when you bring dessert. No one high-fives the person who brought salad, jokes Claire. "I made a really good gluten-free and vegan chocolate cake with coconut whipped cream."

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Most Unusual Food

"I was directing a commercial in Paris for three weeks and we tried a bunch of new things, one [of which] was a secret dessert. It was a little cake with a perfect golden orb on top. It was an egg yolk! It was a funny mix. None of the flavors came together in a way that made it very pleasant."

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If I was Not Working with Food I Would...

"I would be a permanent grad student," Claire remarks. "Nothing makes me happier than reading, studying interesting topics and talking to people. Maybe a professor, so you can walk into a room with a ton of books and work on some obscure project. That is my dream situation."

"I love food and I'm a food nerd," Claire admits. Even if she's not a trained chef, Claire takes pride in making her recipes approachable for all foodies and home cooks: "I never wanted [the blog] to be inaccessible in any way. It's been great to see how it's connected with such a wide group of people."

The food guru shares the story behind her blog, how she got into cooking, what female chef she idolizes and what adorable (and unique) treat her mother would make her growing up.

Check out the slideshow above to learn all this and more about Claire Thomas.